News

Man threatened to kill young sons and ex-partner

A FATHER who sent one of his two young Redditch sons a text message saying he had "24 hours to live" and that his little brother would be suffocated has been jailed for 30 months.

Judge Robert Juckes QC told Carl Devine that anyone who was a father, reading the kind of language he had used to his son, would find it "extremely difficult to believe".

Devine, aged 43, of Berkeley Road East, Yardley, Birmingham, admitted two breaches of a restraining order controlling his contact with his ex-partner and their sons and threatening to kill them.

Besides the jail sentence, a new 10-year restraining order was imposed banning him from contacting Joanna Hudson, their sons and her new partner Ray Beech, and Devine was ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge.

Judge Juckes said the text sent by Devine to his son told the boy he, his mother and younger brother would die and he would "tie your tongue with their tongue".

Devine had also said he hoped the boy would have a heart attack and that his brother would be "suffocated soon".

The judge said that Devine had been in an abusive relationship with Miss Hudson for 14 years but they separated in 2009 and an order was made to control his contact with her.

In October, Devine turned up unannounced at their Redditch home to find Miss Hudson’s new partner, Ray Beech, with the children and he made threats.

The judge said that, when he was released from his sentence, great care should be taken to protect the people identified in the restraining order.

Devine had written to the court expressing his remorse – but Judge Juckes said he was concerned that it detailed how the defendant thought that his ex-partner was responsible for what had happened and he was not to blame.

Saleema Mahmood, defending, said Devine had continued to support his family after the break-up and had paid for a laptop and lessons, as well as taking his sons to football matches.

He had felt that his sons had betrayed him by not telling him about their mother’s new partner.